This Iceland Symphony concert features Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, one of the most revered orchestral works of the twentieth century, as well as one of the most influential — a composition that Pierre Boulez called the “birth certificate of contemporary music.” The music is tense and powerful, with strident chords and unexpected rhythms, yet with many melodies taken from Russian and Lithuanian folk songs. The work describes a sacred ritual in which one of a group of virgins is selected to dance herself to death, ensuring the arrival of spring.

In recent years, Daníel Bjarnason has established himself as one of Iceland’s premier musicians. His Violin Concerto, written for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was premiered by the LA Phil on an outdoor stage at Hollywood Bowl for an audience of over 15,000. It has been universally praised by critics, as has the inspired performance by trail-blazing Finish virtuoso Pekka Kuusisto, for whom it was written. The programme begins with Arvo Pärt’s tranquil and beautiful Fratres, one of his loveliest works, a hypnotic set of variations on a six-bar theme.

The Iceland Symphony’s Children’s Hour concerts have been extremely popular. The programming and length of the concerts are tailored to the needs of audiences too young for the full-length children’s concerts in the Litli tónsprotinn series. Children’s Hour concerts are about 30 minutes long and are held in Hörpuhornið, the open space on the second floor of Harpa, just outside Eldborg hall. It is a good idea to bring a cushion to sit on. A variety of special guests come to visit and participate actively in Children’s Hour concerts with Maxi the Musical Mouse.

Highlights

Event calendar

Each year, the Iceland Symphony takes part in the Dark Music Days, a festival of contemporary Icelandic music. The orchestra's concert on January 31st features three first performances, as well as other outstanding recent works, one of which is Metacosmos by Composer-in-Residence Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Before the concert, the orchestra invites guests to a conversation with Anna where she talks about her new work (in Icelandic). On February 1st the orchestra will also premiere two works at the Yrkja concert.